Je, hicho ni kitabu chako?

to be

Breakdown of Je, hicho ni kitabu chako?

• kitabu: the book
• hicho: that
• chako: your

Questions & Answers about Je, hicho ni kitabu chako?

What does Je indicate at the beginning of the sentence?

In Swahili, Je is used to form a yes/no question. It doesn’t have a direct translation in English; rather, it signals that the following statement is a question.

Why do we use hicho instead of another demonstrative?

Hicho is the demonstrative for something in the ki/vi noun class (the class that includes kitabu, meaning “book”) and points to something that is a bit removed from the speaker but still relatively near.

How do I know that kitabu is in the ki/vi class?

You can tell by its singular form ki-tabu and plural form vi-tabu. Nouns in this class typically start with ki in the singular and vi in the plural (e.g., kiti / viti for “chair/chairs”).

Why does chako mean “your” here?

Swahili possessive adjectives follow the noun class concord. Since kitabu belongs to the ki/vi class, its possessive form uses -chako to mean “your” in the second-person singular.

Is the intonation important when using Je at the start of a question?

Yes, intonation can help convey that it’s a question, but the presence of Je generally lets the listener know right away that it’s a yes/no question, even if the intonation is subtle.